Tintin and Eleanor
by Dorky Tinsle Chik
Summary: Following after the great Unicorn adventure, Tintin meets an engineer-Eleanor. What new adventures happen, when these two meet?Tintin the adventurous journalist, and Eleanor the sweet engineer. This is going to be interesting! Contains OC's, written by Mary, member of the DorkyTinsleChik Team. Story is MUCH better than summary!
1. Chapter 1

_**(A/N) Hello people of the fan-fictions! So, here's the dealio;**_

_**My BFF is writing this amazing fan-fiction, and to skip all the trouble of making another account for her, I just decided to post it on my account! :P So yeah, this her story. ;) It has a few OC's in it, just so ya know. And now, onto the story!**_

DISCLAIMER: Melody and her BFF have no rights to Tintin, only the characters they((BFF)) created. Oh, and this is based off of the movie, Adventures of Tintin, not the comic. There was just no other place to put this. Any-who, enjoy!

Clang... Clang... Whirrrrrrrrrrr!...

"That should do it, sir."

"Ah, yes. Thanks Eleanor."

So the conversation went between a very young mechanic and the assistant manager of the Chemical Works, which was near the coast of Northern California. The Chemical Works was a forest of gears and piping surrounded by blowing steam and gauges. This was where they sorted out chemicals and metals and shipped them to the needed factories and companies.

This was also where Eleanor, a mechanic barely over sixteen, worked with rusty gears and fixed broken gauges. Not that she minded. Come to think of it, there was hardly anything that Eleanor minded. She was a very simple girl, who never seemed to be very bothered by anything. Eleanor was extremely patient, and constantly cheerful. To add to this, Eleanor was also very quiet and shy. She wore wire-rimmed rectangular spectacles on her nose, and constantly adjusted them while she worked. She always wore simple sweaters, with the collar of her shirt usually peeking out from the neck, and normal jeans that were never too tight or baggy. Her hair, which was so dark brown in bad light it appeared black, was always neatly pinned out of her face and tied up in a loose pony-tail or braid.

The _clang clang whirr _noise that had sounded before Eleanor assured her boss that everything was well, was her adjusting some tight gears back into place and activating them turning. Eleanor was always so handy with a wrench. Though it was a talent no one ever noticed, it would prove to be very practical, and not just in mechanics.

"Aha, so there you are, you little rat."  
"What are you going to do with me?" demanded the young red-headed journalist.  
"Oh don't worry. We're going to have _lots_ of fun with you."  
"And what does that mean?"  
"All in good time, young man. All in good time."

The young reporter, who was of course Tintin, had been on a vacation to America, during which he accidentally stumbled upon what he didn't know was a branch of a criminal league. A criminal league that liked the idea of torture.

What had happened was Tintin had seen a dark shadowy figure step out of a jewelry store while on an early night walk. This curious man took one look at Tintin and took off like a shot. In response to this odd behavior, Tintin followed him, and only intended to question him. The chase ended with Tintin going into a rather dark alley, and accidentally overhearing a shocking conversation of a successful jewelery store heist.

During which of course, Tintin's loyal dog Snowy growled and revealed his hiding spot. Tintin was immediately knocked out, only to awaken an hour later with his hands bound behind his back and a painful headache at the feet of whomever was in charge of this branch of criminals.

"What time exactly are we going to have this 'fun'?"

"Now now, little boy, don't be hasty. We must get our little toys in good condition before playtime, which reminds me, we have another little package to pick up..." The criminal lilted as he trailed off.

Tintin looked around. He appeared to be in some rickety old house, sitting on the floor. Tintin almost jumped when he felt the room tilt to one side, straighten out, then tip to the other side.

"Where exactly are we?"

"What does that matter? After we play with you, you will tell us all you know, then we will either eliminate you entirely or use you for something."

"Use me?"

"You appear a hefty sort. You never know."

"I'd sooner be shot."

"Oh? No, we plan to do something worse if you resist," the man's voice dropped to a snake-like hiss. "Something _deliciously_ worse."

"And what will that be?"

"Like I said, all in good time."

"I'm simply curious, answer me; where am I?"

"My yacht."

"That explains the rocking. Wait a moment.. where is my dog?"

"The other room. Don't worry. I'm sure the ropes aren't _too_ tight."

Tintin narrowed his eyes in wrath.

A man from the criminal league had just entered the chemical works. He was dressed in a gray suit and hat and was smoking a cigarette through his perfect clenched teeth. He had many scars to behold, and he was so tickled with what he was going to do he strained to keep from chuckling.

Eleanor had just finished her work for the day and was making her way down a passageway, foggy with steam. In one hand she held a toolbox and she adjusted her glasses with the other.

She paused as she saw the criminal's silhouette through the fog, walking briskly her direction. It was definitely unusual, especially since no one but those who worked here came to the Works, and Eleanor knew everyone who worked here, and no one dressed like that.

Eleanor adjusted her glasses again nervously and set down the toolbox. She carefully took out a wrench and pretended to be inspecting some nearby gears, hoping that the stranger would pass her by. She didn't know why or what about this man was making her so nervous. She just knew she didn't want to bump into whomever this person was.

"Hey, Sister!"

A chill ran down Eleanor's spine and she slowly turned her head towards the well-dressed but rough-skinned stranger.

"Are you talking to me, sir?" she asked quietly.

"Yea. What are you doin'?" he asked gruffly.

"I-I'm just inspecting these gears. Making sure they work properly."

"An' why d'you suddenly have the notion to as soon as I walk up?" he quizzed suspiciously.

"I just realized these were the ones I needed to inspect, sir."

"Sure. What's with the wrench? Planning to crack someone's head?"

"N-Not at all, sir! I... I am a mechanic you know. A wrench is an essential tool for my work." Why did this man assume she was going to attack?

"You a mechanic you say?"

"Yes, sir."

"Mmm..." he seemed to be considering something.

"Hey, look at me, girl." he commanded.

Eleanor never knew why she obeyed. The man was frightening her, so maybe she was scared into submission. As soon as she did, however, the man covered her mouth and nose with an odd smelling handkerchief. Eleanor immediately gasped and screeched, causing her to breathe in the strange smell in the hanky, and her world to go dark.

Eleanor's vision slowly game back into focus. Her glasses were not on the tip of her nose, but they were farther from her eyes than she liked, and reached up to adjust them, only to find her hands bound.

"Nattie?.. Amber? Jean?" she called out her friends' name, wondering if they were anywhere near her.

"Eh, she's awake." mumbled a guard from the other side of the room. He suddenly got up and walked out.

Somehow Eleanor adjusted her glasses with her shoulder and scanned the room. Her eyes fell on boy, about her age, with red hair that stuck up in the front. Her eyes widened as she realized he was a prisoner too.

"Hello?" Eleanor said quietly.

Tintin met her gaze.

"Do you know what-" Eleanor got cut short when the criminal leader walked through the door.

"Oh, hello, miss! So good to see you awake," he said fondly. Tintin noticed this girl in front of him shivered.

"What.. what are you.." she asked.

"Oh, don't worry at all, miss. We aren't going to hurt you."

Tintin blinked. They weren't?

"Then what-" she started.

"We simply have a job we want you to do for us."

"A job?"

"A job."

Eleanor blinked in confusion. They only wanted her for a job? What could she do that these goons couldn't? What would provoke them to kidnap her?

"Reginald, be a good man and untie this girl. Those ropes are sure to be chaffing her wrists."

Eleanor noticed this man never apologized for the ropes being there in the first place as another man cut them loose. She rose to her feet and adjusted her glasses.

"What sort of job is this?" she asked softly. The man in front of her grinned a grin of rotten teeth. Eleanor shivered.

"You are a mechanic, yes?" he said.

"Yes.."

Tintin rose his eyebrows a little. _Young mechanic._

"Well I'm sure this job for you will be no trouble. Please follow me," the man said, starting towards the door.

The man that cut Eleanor loose followed close behind, leaving her no choice but to follow. He turned towards Tintin. "Don't go away. We will be back in a while," he said wryly.

The three of them walked into the other room, where Eleanor saw a white dog with three ropes around his neck, each pulling him a different direction and some sort of muzzle squeezing the poor dog's head. The dog was whimpering and trying to lay in a comfortable position, which was impossible because of the ropes.

"Pardon the mutt. He's been a rather disobedient hound lately."

"Enough to where he can't move?" Eleanor ventured, adjusting her glasses.

The man twitched, but didn't answer as he walked over to a strange machine a few feet away from the dog.

The machine was about the size of a small sleeping mat with gears all out of order and rusty shackles at the head and foot of it.

"Now, miss, we wish you to simply repair this here machine."

"Repair it? That's all?"

"That's it."

"What was it supposed to do?"

"That's the fascinating thing about it," the man grinned as Eleanor looked slightly less afraid and a little more interested.

"Its called 'The Press'. It was made in a curious fashion a few decades ago. It's purpose is to shackle some victim to it, and stretch his limbs and make some sort of sensation on his back to where it creates the illusion of more and more weight being added to the victim's chest. Creating the feeling of being crushed slowly to death."

Eleanor looked horrified.

"Don't worry. It doesn't kill anything. It just creates unbelievable pain." The man said this as if it pleased him more than anything.

"It... Its a torture device?" Eleanor said, shocked.

"Quite so."

"You want me to _fix this_?"

"You don't have a choice, young lady."

Eleanor slowly turned to see Reginald holding a pistol. She froze.

"Either you repair this machine, or I'll just have to find someone else with mechanical skills."

Eleanor was afraid she was going to faint. Either she repaired this machine.. this _tormentor,_ or get shot without hesitation. Unless...

Eleanor turned back to her main captor. He was grinning his disgusting grin again, causing her to shake uncontrollably.

"I'll take that as an agreement. Done then. There is a box of tools right by it. Have fun. Oh, and feel free to be creative. Add something to abuse the victim even more," and with that, the man and Reginald entered the next room. Leaving Eleanor to this horrific box of gears.

Eleanor began to work. All the time telling herself that she was insane and shouldn't be doing this. She adjusted her glasses as the little white dog next to her whined. She looked at him.

"I'm sorry. Neither of us should be here."

The dog just looked at her in agreement.

Eleanor sighed. She felt just as trapped as that dog, if not more. She adjusted her glasses again. The dog looked at her hopefully.

"Listen, if I untie you, you won't run away until I tell you, right?"

The dog wagged his tail.

"Good. They mustn't know that I let you go. Hold still." Eleanor gently loosened the knots on the ropes until they were loose enough that if the dog shook his head they would fall off. Then she turned back to the machine.

The dog whined again. "I'm sorry, boy. The muzzle has to stay on. If I can, I'll remove it later." The dog whined again but seemed to understand her.

Eleanor adjusted her glasses as the last gear went into place. She hoped she knew what she was doing. She stood back, one hand on her hip and the other clutching a rather heavy wrench. The door behind her creaked as her main captor and Reginald walked in.

"Ah! All done I see."

Eleanor nodded, speechless at what she did. The man clapped his hands. "Excellent, time for a test run!"

Eleanor shuddered. Was it she herself that was supposed to be the machine's first victim? The man suddenly nodded to Reginald, who went back into the other room. He returned after a moment dragging the young red-headed man she had seen earlier by one arm. _He_ was the first victim?

"Snowy!" he yelled when he saw the dog.

The dog responded with a muffled bark. "Let him go!" the young man demanded.

The man's face twisted into an evil rotten grin that once again sent chills down Eleanor's spine.

"My boy," he started. "That dog will suffer immense pain if you do not cooperate with us. Simply lay down on that machine and let Reginald shackle your wrists and ankles."

The young man hesitated, then stopped struggling as Reginald cut his hands loose. The man chuckled.

"I knew you'd see it our way," he said as Reginald cuffed his hands and feet with the machine's shackles.

Eleanor gripped the wrench in fear. She hoped nothing would go wrong...

Reginald backed up a short distance and seized Eleanor by the arm that didn't hold the wrench. The man backed up until he was side by side with Eleanor. She shivered at his presence and adjusted her glasses.

"Start the machine girl," the man ordered. Eleanor took a step forward and twisted a knob on the side of the machine and stepped back. Reginald tightened his grip on her, warning her not to try anything.

Tintin wondered what would happen to him. What did this machine do? The machine made a strange whizzing noise. "What you are hearing is the machine gearing up for your ultimate pain," explained the man.

Tintin glared at him. What a sick creature. He passed his glare to Reginald. Then his eyes fell on the other young woman by them. Tintin had already supposed that her job was to repair the machine. He blinked in surprise as he noticed she wasn't looking at him fearfully or sympathetically. She was staring at him with such focused expectancy she didn't notice the puzzled look he was giving her.

Suddenly, in a series of movements so quick no one could react, the whizzing stopped. Then the shackles that held Tintin in place sprung open, and some metallic force pushed him to his feet. Then, all at once, the many gears inside the machine began to be launched, one by one, at Reginald, Eleanor, and the main captor.

Eleanor, who had of course been expecting this malfunction of the machine, ducked as a heavy gear flew over her head and another crashed into Reginald between his eyes, causing him to release Eleanor and fall backwards. While in midair, Eleanor struck his head with the wrench she was holding.

Then she turned to her main captor and whacked his forehead in a sweeping motion, then took off.

Though her blow knocked out Reginald, all her blow to her main captor did was make a very painful slit in the skin of his forehead. He was just about to retaliate when another gear flew at him and struck his ear.

"Boys! STOP HER!" the man hollered as he hit the ground. A large group of men filed into the room, then into the other room where Eleanor had fled. Snowy, suspecting this was the moment Eleanor had planned, shook of the ropes and ran after her.

Tintin, though slightly stunned, was suddenly right behind the sprinting young woman who had apparently saved his life, with about seven criminals at their heels. Almost immediately the three of them, girl, boy, and dog, had run up a flight of stairs and found themselves on the deck of the yacht.

Spurred by her terror, the girl dove off the edge and began swimming for the nearby docks. Tintin only stared at what she had done, then turned to see seven criminals reaching out to grab him.

He immediately ran backwards, off the edge of the boat, followed by the ever loyal dog of his.

After swimming about twenty yards, Tintin found himself next to this girl with water spotted glasses on the dock, holding himself up by his forearms on the edge before grabbing Snowy and lifting him to lay on the dock to catch his breath. All of them coughed and panted. Eleanor realized with slight surprise that in all the excitement, she was still clutching the wrench.

Tintin was looking down at the wood of the dock.

"That... that was..." he started, trying to describe what had happened to the both of him. He looked to where this strange girl was, only to find a puddle of water and a wet wrench. He blinked and looked up the dock to find a trail of puddles left by the girl who had left. Tintin finally lifted himself up onto the dock and found himself wanting to follow this trail. After a few moment's consideration, he decided not to. Whomever that girl was, she had been through a lot for one night.

He squeezed some water out of his trench coat before bending down, picking up the wrench, and shoving it into his pocket. Just because he wasn't going to follow this girl tonight, didn't mean that he wasn't determined to find her again. Snowy whined.

"Sorry, boy," Tintin said as he removed the muzzle.


	2. Chapter 2

**(a/n) Yay! My friend gave me the new chapter, but I was being a scatter-brain, and just now posted it. I take full blame. ~ashamed~  
Any-who, she wanted to send out a shout-out to her reviewers. =] So, enjoy chapter 2! **

**_9764321Poppy Princess123456789:_ Well thanks! Always trying to stay ahead with this story. Hope you like the Captain!  
_Maddi Paige:_ Really? Thanks so much!  
_Pink-Pencil-Girl303:_ Okay, I'm just flattered! Thanks so much! I noticed a lot in these fanfic stories its usually the strong willed and smart aleck girls that get the adventure with Tintin. But what about the shy girls? Just giving one a chance. And yes, actually, I did read some of the Tintin comics. Its just "based" off the movie so that you can picture it in the same animation as the movie, not the cartoon series or the comic. But yeah, I like Tintin's bold but gentlemanly personality, and I was wondering what happens when you mix that with a shy quieter girl, because we ALL know what happens when you involve a loud outgoing girl. **

::~*~::~*~::~*~::~*~::~*~::~*~::~*~::~*~::~*~::~*~::~*~::~*~::~*~::~*~::~*~::~*~::

"Thundering typhoons," said Captain Haddock, another one of Tintin's friends when he had returned, soaking wet, to the hotel the two of them stayed at.

Tintin hastily but thoroughly explained what happened as he removed his wet trench coat and lay it over the side the bathtub in the bathroom to dry.

"Blistering barnacles. Who was the lass?" the Captain asked after a while.

"I haven't the slightest idea, Captain. But I plan to find out," said Tintin, assuredly.

"Thundering... How do you plan to do that?"

"I'm going to need Snowy's help with that, of course. She left behind a wrench. Tomorrow I will take Snowy back to the docks, have him pick up her scent," he explained.

Snowy barked happily. Not only did he want to find the girl who was responsible for his own freedom, but he liked being useful to his master.

"Why do you even want to look for her? I mean, like you said, she's been through a lot. Why would she want to find you again?"

"She could be in danger. I don't know why those bandits kidnapped her, but she may know something I don't. And notice that those kidnappers didn't force me to talk by gunpoint. They wanted to torture me. There could be a whole league of them. Not to mention a terrific story-"

"Thundering typhoons! You could be dragging someone you don't even know into a whole mess of trouble without a second thought!" the Captain exclaimed.

"It may be for her own good, Captain," Tintin argued. "And anyway, what choice do I have? I can't just leave this case like it is."

"How in blistering barnacles could this be _helping_ that lass?" the Captain asked incredulously. "Driving her into this muddle doesn't seem to be very _helpful_, lad."

"Those criminals may be after her again, Captain. I need to know if she knows something that I don't know!"

"What if she doesn't know anything that you don't know what you need to know that she doesn't know?" the Captain asked.

"Er... What?"

"What if she has no information that you could use?" said the Captain, carefully rephrasing.

"I'm sure she does. And even if she doesn't, it would make a story better if I get her point of view as well."

The Captain sighed.

"As you like. But be sure not to force this girl into anything. It won't be fair to her."

Tintin blinked up at him.

"Why do you care so much about what is fair to her?"

"Thundering typhoons! She saved your life didn't she? I think you should at least treat her well."

Tintin chuckled inwardly. Why was the Captain being so _fatherly _about this girl? He hadn't even met her yet. Perhaps he had had a drink to many, as usual.

::~*~::~*~::~*~::~*~::~*~::~*~::

"I think this is the right dock, Snowy," said Tintin looking around. He had slept the night before rather well, considering all the excitement. He pulled the cold metallic silver wrench from his pocket and bent down to let Snowy sniff it.

The white fox terrier took three sniffs, then bent down to smell the docks, try to find anything that smelled like that bespectacled girl that had helped them the night before. Before ten seconds passed, his head bolted up and he barked before bolting off the docks, stopping now and then to recapture the smell.

"Good boy, Snowy!" Tintin was smiling triumphantly as he followed the dog closely.

The girl's trail made only three stops. One was by a police station, and then away. The second to a rather cozy looking house that was painted a nice sky blue, and then away. Snowy barked excitedly as the smell grew stronger and ran towards stop number three. Which, of course, was the Chemical Works.

Fortunately, no one was keeping a watch outside, so Tintin and Snowy slipped in quietly before continuing the chase. Tintin coughed into his fist a few times as he bolted down a long platform that was all foggy with steam. Finally, Snowy stopped and looked up, panting happily.

The girl from the night before was right in front of them, standing on a platform perhaps three feet higher than the one Tintin stood on, and was busily placing some gears in a better position. Her face was very focused, but also pleasant. Tintin smiled.

"Ahem, pardon me, miss," he called out.

The girl instinctively turned toward the voice, the widened her brown eyes when she saw who it was.

"Why... its you!" she cried out in surprise.

"Yes, miss. I believe we met briefly the other day?"

"Yes. Yes we did."

"Well, I haven't properly introduced myself. My name is Tintin," he said, politely sticking out his hand. The girl stepped down from her platform.

"I'm Eleanor Drake," she said, taking it in her gentle grasp.

"Well, Eleanor, I-"

Tintin got cut off by a feminine shout from a platform high above.

"Hey, Eleanor!"

Eleanor turned to the girl who shouted.

"Yes, Nattie?"

"Pipe 88-b has some weird pressure!"

"Too high or two low?"

"Too high!"

"Too high?" Eleanor nervously adjusted her glasses. "By how much?"

"I'd say about five d's."

"Only five? Hmm. Could be nothing. I'll have a look just in case."

"Okay, the flow's off!"

"Right, thanks, Nattie!"

"Yup!"

Eleanor turned to locate a pipe that had the number _88-b _marked in white. Tintin blinked in fascination as she started to work.

"By the way, Tintin, how did you know that I worked here?" she asked, her face looking pleasantly curious. Tintin smiled.

"Oh, you have Snowy to thank for that."

Snowy came up from behind Tintin, proudly.

"Hello there, Snowy. I remember you. Good dog," Eleanor praised, bending down to pat his head. Snowy barked happily.

"That reminds me, I never go to thank you for helping me," said Tintin.

"Helping you?"

"When you rigged the machine so we could escape."

"Oh, well, you're quite welcome," said Eleanor, looking both pleasant and a little uncomfortable.

"What did you do when you left?"

"I was very shaken up about the whole thing. I ran straight to the police."

"I thought the police was quite a ways away from the docks."

Eleanor adjusted her glasses.

"They are."

Tintin rose his eyebrows. This girl must not be very used to dealing with this sort of danger.

"What did they do?"

"They said they would handle it," Eleanor adjusted her glasses again. "And I should go home and get a good night's rest. I have a feeling they didn't believe me, though."

Tintin frowned. By the looks of things, the police thought she was delusional, and had no intention of giving this case a second thought. Rather blunt and careless for the city's protectors.

"What are you going to do about it?" he asked.

"...I'm not so sure I _can_ do anything about it." This wasn't deniable. Eleanor was a mechanic. A simple mechanic. Getting into this criminal trouble was really not her business. Tintin thought a moment. Eleanor really wasn't nosy at all and wanted to avoid things she had no business in. He respected that, not to mention it would help keep her out of trouble.

"Eleanor, I don't mean to frighten you, but I do believe you are in danger."

Eleanor immediately looked slightly anxious.

"How so?"

"You may know some things that those criminals didn't want you to know, or things they didn't want you to know if they let you go. Either way, there is a strong chance that you will be kidnapped or even harmed."

Eleanor adjusted her glasses.

"What do you suppose I should do?"

"That's what I came to talk to you about. Can you take a walk?"

"I'm sorry. I can't leave the works. At least not until the end of the day."

"When is that?"

"Five o'clock."

"Fine. May I meet you outside the entrance?"

"I believe so."

"Very well. I shall see you then. By the way, it would be a good idea to have someone very nearby as you work."

Eleanor adjusted her glasses and nodded.

"Yes, I think that would be wise. Thank you."

Tintin nodded.

"Very well then. Good bye, Eleanor."

"Good bye, Tintin."

For the rest of the day, Eleanor worked close to the girl she called Nattie.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN- Hey there! It's me, the author. For now, you can call me Mary if you wanna. Not my real name, just my pen name, but Mary it is, if you wanna call me anything. Anywho, so so sorry to my faithful Tintin fans for waiting so long before a post, but I was on a minimum computer usage for the summer. My school is finally back into the swing o' things, so I should be able to update fairly often, in the exception of I got writers block, overloaded with work, or I'm too busy co-authoring a story for DorkyTinselChick- Coming Soon! The title will be The Host Club's Melody, so be sure to look out for the first chapter!**

**Tintin- With all due respect, I think that your readers want to read this next chapter now. **

**Me- Hang on a sec, I wanna thank all my new readers and commenters!**

**Tintin- Well, if you hadn't spent so much time ADVERTISING...**

**Eleanor- (adjusts glasses) Um, I can thank them for you if you want.**

**Me- Sure, go ahead.**

**Eleanor- Thanks to 9764321Poppy Princess123456789, Maddi Paige, Pink-Pencil-Girl303, Flora11, and Daniella the muggle for all your kind words, and a special thank you to kitty-kat-girlyyyxxx for following us. And an extra special thank you to Melody, for posting us. **

**Tintin- Well said.**

**Haddock- Hear Hear!**

**Snowy- Woah!**

**Haddock- Eh, could I do the disclaimer?**

**Me- Sure, what the hey.**

**Haddock- Mary only owns Eleanor, Nattie, and the place this story takes place at... did I say that right?**

**Tintin- Yes. Can we get on with it? **

**Me- Finnnne... Enjoy me readers! And only review if you wanna!**

Tintin rocked a bit on his feet while he waited for Eleanor outside the entrance.

"I'll be seeing you, Eleanor!"

"Bye, Nattie!"

He heard all of a sudden as Eleanor jogged up to him after parting with a sandy blonde girl.

"Afternoon, Eleanor," Tintin greeted warmly.

"Hello. You wished to take a walk, I believe?"

"Yes, I did. Shall we?"

"After you."

The two started down a sidewalk.

"So, I believe that we have a few things to talk about, Tintin?" Eleanor asked.

"Yes we do, but I still think that we are a little too much out in the open for a private matter. In any case we can hardly decide anything without the participation of the Captain."

"Pardon? Captain?"

"Oh, he's a friend of mine. I met him a time ago and we do most of our adventures together."

"Most of your adventures? You mean you've dealt with this sort of ...uh... circumstances before?"

"Oh, yes. I didn't tell you, I'm a journalist. I have quite a history with this sort of thing."

"Really? So, what did the criminals last night want with you?"

"I caught one of them during a jewelery store heist. They wanted to know how much I knew about them."

"And they were willing to torture you?" Eleanor shuddered. "I'm surprised the police hadn't done more about this. Very unlike them you know. Normally they are very attentive."

"I was wondering about that too," Tintin agreed. "I don't see what they are so ignorant about. Surely this isn't so improbable? I mean, the fact that there was a torturing machine may be unusual for such criminals, but it isn't exactly unlikely." Tintin stopped in front of the hotel he was staying at.

"Would you like to come in?"

"Oh, I shouldn't."

"No, please. The Captain would like to meet you." Tintin insisted.

"Well," Eleanor adjusted her glasses. "Alright."

Tintin grinned and opened the door for her.

"This way," he said, leading the way to his room before opening the door.

"Aye! There you are, laddie!" greeted the Captain in is very gruff, booming voice.

Eleanor jumped and adjusted her glasses as this thick, burly man roughly- but friendlily-shook hands with Tintin.

"Em, hello, Captain," Tintin said as his friend's eyes fell on the rather small looking Eleanor.

"Ehhhhh..."

"Captain, this is a friend of mine-"

"Eleanor," Eleanor said, sticking out her hand.

"I be Captain Haddock. Archibald Haddock," boomed the Captain, taking Eleanor's hand and squeezing and shaking it so hard that Eleanor almost yelped and her entire frame shook.

"Pleased to meet you, sir," Eleanor said politely as she adjusted her now especially crooked glasses.

Tintin almost winced. He probably should have warned her about the Captain's 'firm' handshake.

"Pleasure's all mine. Eh, laddie, is this the lass that hay-wired the bucket of bolts last night?" the Captain asked Tintin.

"Yes, she is."

"Handy with a wrench, you say?"

"Yes."

Eleanor blushed a little and slightly bowed her head. The Captain brightened. Anyone who saved Tintin could definitely be a friend of his.

"Well, it's an honor to meet you, lass."

"Thank you, sir." Eleanor smiled. Apparently she did something that this man approved.

Tintin interjected.

"I brought her here so we can plan what to do, Captain. I wouldn't be surprised if someone was spying on her now."

"Why would anyone spy on her?"

"So they could catch her again, alone."

"Why would anyone want her alone?"

Tintin rubbed his forehead.

"Captain, she could be kidnapped again."

"Ohhh..." The Captain grinned, satisfied. Then he frowned. "Why?"

Tintin sighed, exasperatedly.

"Sir, I am very sure they never intended to let me go, so naturally they'd try to get me back," explained Eleanor.

"What makes you think that?"

"Why wouldn't they? I can repair machinery for them, once I was released I could easily alert the police."

"Ohh," Captain Haddock nodded as he understood the situation.

"Well, what are we going to do, then?"

"Trying to figure that out, Captain," said Tintin, tapping his chin. "There may not be a spy in the first place, but if there is, we need to be ready."

"Blistering barnacles, lad. There's no way we can be with her all the time."

"Actually..." Eleanor started in her quiet, thoughtful fashion.

"I think the first step would be to confirm whether or not there _is_ a spy."

The Captain pointed a finger in her direction approvingly. "There you go, lassie!"

She may be a new friend, but he wasn't ready to follow her everywhere for no reason at all.

"And how do we do that?" asked Tintin

Eleanor shrugged.

"Set a trap I suppose. We may even catch the spy and we won't have to worry about it anymore."

Tintin blinked. Set a simple trap, just like that, and he could uncover an entire league of criminals.

"Brilliant.. we could make of dummy of her, set it some place and-" he started.

Eleanor adjusted her glasses and cut him off.

"Pardon me, Tintin, but it just occurred to me. You two are as involved as I am now. You're in just as much danger as I am."

"Chance of danger," Captain corrected.

"Yes, chance of danger. Which makes me wonder why no one caught either of you. Surely you've been alone sometime today. Have you been armed this entire time?"

Upon hearing this, Tintin put his hand to his pocket, where he kept his own handgun.

"Well, yes, actually, now that I think of it."

"And you, sir?" Eleanor asked the Captain.

The Captain thought over his day.

"I' been as vulnerable as a bird sleeping in it's nest," he replied a little sheepishly.

Eleanor looked at Tintin.

"If that is indeed the case, there shouldn't be a spy. At least not yet. Otherwise he would have followed you here and take the Captain, just to get to you unarmed."

Tintin nodded. That was true.

"And no one followed me home last night. Otherwise they'd kidnap me in my sleep," Eleanor added. Tintin furrowed his brow a bit.

"It is unlike such 'sophisticated' criminals to be so slow. What could be keeping them?" he wondered aloud. They all went silent as they pondered this. Suddenly Eleanor blanched.

"Tintin, what if they are more ahead than we think?"

"What do you mean?"

"The policemen did not believe me when I told them what happened. Could they be already involved?"

Tintin's eyes lit up.

"Of course! That's why they didn't believe you. But that still doesn't make sense. Why didn't they capture you when you went to them?"

Eleanor thought a bit.

"Because, I would have disappeared."

"Sorry?"

"If they kidnapped me again, no one would know what happened to me. I have a few good friends where I work. If I didn't turn up the next day they would go to my house to see if I was ill. The crooks didn't want to arouse any suspicion."

"Then how else would they capture you?" the Captain asked.

Eleanor blanched again and adjusted her glasses.

"I think they are planning a trap themselves."

"Thundering typhoons," breathed Captain Haddock.

"What sort of trap do you suppose?" asked Tintin

Eleanor adjusted her glasses.

"I really don't know. Anything that would make it look like I committed some crime," Eleanor shrugged. "I'm sorry. I'm really not a very good detective."

Tintin almost frowned. Not a good detective? She had gotten them this far hadn't she? Eleanor was a better detective than he would have guessed. Tintin would have contradicted her statement, but he didn't want to venture off topic.

"I don't believe there is any reason to panic then," said the Captain, trying but not really succeeding to be helpful.

"Though I would be cautious if I were you, lass."

Eleanor adjusted her glasses.

"I'll be most sure to, sir."

"Laddie, maybe you should walk the lass home. It wouldn't do to have her walk dark streets alone," the Captain suggested to Tintin.

Tintin nodded, then glanced at Eleanor's face for any sign of irritation or discomfort. He knew that in her place he would be most perfectly annoyed to have to have some guard to follow him everywhere. Tintin absently raised his eyebrows when he saw Eleanor looked both pleasant and relieved.

"I'd be glad to," he finally said with a smile. Eleanor returned the smile.

"Thank you very much for having me over."

"Not at all."

Eleanor stuck out her hand again to Captain Haddock.

"It was very nice meeting you," she said pleasantly.

"Likewise, lass."

"Shall we go?" said Tintin, opening the door for her.

Eleanor adjusted her glasses before walking through it.

"Thank you."

Captain Haddock smiled to himself after she left. That girl was nice.

Tintin walked Eleanor to her door.

"Very lovely house," he commented upon seeing her cozy home that Snowy had led him to earlier in the day. It was rather small, but it was a comfortable looking place.

"Oh, thank you."

"Be sure to keep your door locked."

"Indeed."

Tintin gave her a reassuring look.

"Don't worry, we will get to the bottom of this."

Eleanor smiled. "Yes, I think we will."

Tintin nodded fondly.

Eleanor adjusted her glasses and stuck her hand out.

"Goodnight, Tintin."

Tintin shook it. "Goodnight, Eleanor."


	4. Chapter 4

**(Eleanor walks in with a clipboard. Adjusts glasses)**

**Eleanor: Hello! Mary had requested that I represent her in this Author's Note for the latest update, so here I am with a message to... (glances at clipboard) a Miss Pink-Pencil-Girl303. Mary would like to thank you, and the rest of us OC's would like to thank you for your review! We'd also like to make it clear, not just to Pink-Pencil-Girl303, but to all reviewers, any constructive criticism is appreciated, so long as they don't contain a hateful attitude and/or direct or implied explicit language. But to Miss Pink-Pencil-Girl303, with your kind words we all really doubt you would do that. **

**Tintin: (walks in with famous blue sweater, trench coat, brown pants and shoes with black socks) Pardon me, Eleanor, Mary also sent me with a message too. (pulls paper from pocket) Miss Pink-Pencil-Girl303, your review was much appreciated, and please don't worry that it was long. You being the only one who reviewed and all. Speaking of which, we also thank you very much for following this story-**

**Haddock: Where was this story going?**

**Tintin: (facepalm)**

**Eleanor: I'll explain it later, sir. **

**Tintin: Moving on. Thank you very much for following. Mary would like to apologize for her rather vague last chapter and hopes this chapter will be more pleasing. She also wonders if you would like a cover for this story. If you would, you would be 1 out of 5. If we can get at least five people to want a cover, Mary would gladly learn to draw me as close as she can to the movie version of me, and draw Eleanor next to me and any other characters upon request. **

**Haddock: I've go' a note too. (pulls out paper) Miss Pink-Pencil-Girl303... Upon seeing your profile and how much of a Tintin fan you are, receiving that review from you was like getting a letter from Herge, or Jackson and Spielberg. This goes for Daniella the muggle as well. **

**Snowy: Woah! Woah!**

**Tintin: I think that's it... Please enjoy the following chapter!**

The next day, Tintin woke up, dressed up, and met a very sleepy-eyed Captain in the breakfast area of the hotel. Being the earlier hour of seven o'clock, not many other hotel guests sat in that area. Tintin sat across from the Captain and offered Snowy a breakfast sausage.

"Good morning, Captain."

"Mm."

"What do you plan to do today?"

"Mm."

"...Captain?"

"Mm."

"Captain."

"Mm."

"Captain!"

"Mm."

Tintin reached across the table and waved his hand back and forth in front of the Captain's face. Upon receiving no reaction, Tintin sighed and looked at Snowy at his feet. Snowy only whined, exasperatedly. Finally Tintin reached across and flicked the Captain's nose.

"Gah!" he yelled, earning a glance from one or two passerby.

"Captain, what do plan to do today?" Tintin asked immediately. The Captain looked at him oddly.

"I'm gonna relax, of course lad!" he replied.

"Well, what about Eleanor?" Tintin asked.

"What about the lass?" Now Tintin gave him a strange glance.

"Aren't we going to work on this mystery a bit more?"

"Laddie, we came here for a _holiday_," said the Captain.

"But what about Eleanor?"

"What about the lass?" Tintin rubbed his head. This seemed so much easier last night when Eleanor was around.

"Captain, we need to help Eleanor. I know we came for holiday, but we can't just leave her like this."

"Like what?"

"Captain, do you remember _anything_ about last night? When we discussed the _trap_?" Tintin whispered.

"Oh, right. Well... I suppose we should keep an eye on the lass then?"

"Of course, we should make sure she made well through the night."

"The lass is probably at work now, laddie." Tintin considered this.

"You're probably right. Well, I don't really intend to go on a walk with her again, I just want to check up on her."

"Perhaps you could visit her, then?"

"I suppose so. I'll do that right now. I'll see you later, Captain."

"Mm."

"Good-bye."

"Mm."

Tintin shook his head as he left, Snowy at his side.

Before long, Tintin had made it to the Chemical Works in the steam and pipe forest and was before a once again very busy Eleanor.

"Hello, Eleanor," he said cheerfully. Her pleasant face looked up.

"Oh, hello! What brings you here?"

"I just came to see how-" suddenly Tintin got cut off.

"Hey, Elly!"

"Oh, hello, Amber, Jean, Nattie," Eleanor greeted the three girls walking up.

"Hey, Elly, who's this?" the one Eleanor called Amber asked, pointing to Tintin.

"That's Tintin, he's a friend of mine."

The girls seemed to form a triangle around him, leaving Eleanor out. Tintin stuck his hand out to shake, only to start in surprise when the girl with crimson hair slapped his palm instead of shaking.

"Hey," she greeted casually.

"Um, hello."

"I'm Amber." Tintin nodded at her slowly.

The girl with black hair slapped his hand next.

"I'm Jean."

Then the sandy-blonde.

"Nattie."

Tintin absently rubbed his now slightly stinging hand.

"So, whatchya doin' with Elly?" asked Amber.

"Er, I was just checking up on her," Tintin replied. Jean snorted.

"Why does Eleanor need checking?" she asked.

"Never mind girls!" Eleanor called. All three girls gave Tintin a rather suspicious look. He blinked.

"Okay, we're going to Section C now," said Nattie.

"Alright then," Eleanor replied.

"Later!"

"See ya, Tintin." The three girls retreated. A moment after they were out of sight, Tintin turned to Eleanor.

"Erm, Eleanor, did I … do something wrong?" Tintin asked.

"Wrong? With what?"

"To your friends?"

"What do you mean?" Eleanor asked, adjusting her glasses with her small finger because her wrench was in hand.

"They slapped my hand instead of shaking."

"Oh," Eleanor chuckled. "That was called a 'high-five'. Its a very casual way of greeting."

"You're sure?"

"Of course. They do it to me all the time."

"You Americans certainly have your own way of doing things," Tintin commented.

Eleanor adjusted her glasses. "Indeed, we do."

Tintin shrugged. "Anyway, I came to see how you were faring. Did you make the night alright?" he asked, a little concern edging his tone. Eleanor only smiled brighter.

"Oh yes, very quiet last night. I think we were right in they are planning a trap-" Eleanor involuntarily shivered at the thought. The whole concept seemed to put her on edge. "How about you? Did you have a peaceful night?"

"Well... aside from the Captain snoring, it was rather quiet," said Tintin jokingly. Eleanor's shoulders shook a little as she chuckled. Suddenly, Amber and Nattie came running back up from the path they had left.

"Elly! Come quick!" said Amber, putting her hands on her knees and panting a bit.

"Wha-?"

"Major pressure problems in Section 'C'! The whole thing could blow!" Amber shouted.

"Jean is doing her best to stabilize. We need a gear expert!" added Nattie.

Eleanor quickly adjusted her glasses and tightened her grip on her trusty wrench before running off with Amber and Nattie following close behind.

Tintin hesitated, then ran off after them into the cloud of steam. He didn't really know what was going on, but whatever it was, he could probably be of some assistance. After a ways he stopped when he saw Eleanor climbing a ladder, with Nattie and Amber watching from below.

"What's happening?" he asked them.

"There is something blocking one of the pipes up there, that or the gears that control the chemicals flowing through the pipes are jammed. That could cause the whole section to explode, not to mention the control gears and all other gears around it could fly out from impact," explained Nattie, pointing up the ladder with a risen eyebrow. _Why did this guy really care what was going on here?_

"This could be dangerous then?" Tintin asked, looking up the ladder.

"You kidding? Eleanor and Jean could become a permanent addition to the platforms up there! _If _the platforms survive the explosion," said Amber, crossing her arms. A few passing workers stopped and watched as steam leaked out from some pipes overhead and they rattled as if they were in an earthquake.

Tintin stumbled as the platform beneath him shook. Nattie and Amber easily counter swayed it.

"It looks like an explosion can affect more than just that platform up there!" said Amber, nervously. After a moment's consideration, Tintin ran forward and began climbing up the ladder.

"Hey!"

"What are you thinking?" shouted Amber and Nattie as Tintin raced to find Eleanor. His head just appeared above the upper platform as Eleanor and Jean were inspecting nearby pipes. Jean was nearest to a panel that held certain valves.

"Eleanor, the gears are about twenty yards that way," started Jean, pointing down a pathway connected to the platform they were standing on. "They need to be fixed while this valve stays loose!"

"Okay, Jean, I'll run to the gears, you keep that valve loose!"

"Eleanor, are you crazy?"

"You are stronger than me, and I have more experience with gears!" Eleanor yelled above the rattling, adjusting her glasses.

"Eleanor-"

"Just tell me how long I have before an explosion!"

Tintin finally made it to the top of the ladder, unnoticed by Eleanor and Jean who had their back to him.

"I'd say about ten minutes!" replied Jean. A rather large bang was heard and more steam leaked nearby. "Make that two," Jean corrected herself.

"Okay, I'll go as fast as I can! Keep it loose!" Eleanor was already running, wrench in hand as she said this.

"I'll try."

"Jean! Eleanor! How can I help?" Tintin yelled, making his presence noticed by only Jean. Jean turned slightly as she tried to keep a shaking valve steady with her bare hands.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help!"

"Get lost!"

"But-"

Tintin got cut short when a very strong puff of steam flew out of a pipe and sprayed Jean's eye. She shrieked and instinctively grabbed her eye with both hands, causing the loose valve to suddenly turn and become tight.

"Oh no!" Jean yelled. She tried to work the valve, but only managed to slightly blister her hands to add to the pain of her now red and half closed eye.

"Eleanor! Get out of there!" Jean screamed before retreating down the ladder. The rattling of the pipes all around droned her out, leaving no hope of Eleanor hearing her. Tintin ran forward and seized the valve, trying to turn it loose again. After a few pulls, he grabbed it with both hands and jerked, grunting as he did. The valve finally gave in and turned. Tintin, with some difficulty, held it steady. Amber looked up at Tintin from the base of the ladder.

"Tintin, what the heck are ya doin'?" she shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth.

"This valve needs to stay loose!" he yelled back.

"Tell Elly to get out of there!"

"Jean! I'm done! You can let go!" yelled Eleanor, running back to see Tintin holding the valve. The rattling around and steam leaking out all slowed to a stop. Tintin let go of the valve, now loose on its own. Eleanor adjusted her glasses and blinked at Tintin in wonder.

"When... What... How-?" she started three times.

"I just wanted to see if I could help, so I followed you. Jean couldn't hold it, so..." Tintin trailed off, gesturing to the valve he had been holding. Eleanor nodded.

"Thank you. I..."

"Hey! Elly and Tin-can! Come on down!" shouted Amber. Tintin just rose an eyebrow at Amber's nickname for him and started down the ladder with Eleanor. When both Eleanor and Tintin were in full view, they found themselves surrounded by a small crowd of applauding and cheering workers. Eleanor and Tintin just looked at each other in surprise.

Suddenly the manager shoved his way through the crowd.

"Okay, what happened here, people?" he asked, clipboard in hand.

"Pressure and gear trouble!" some one called out.

"So that means-" started the manager.

"Gear blockage!"

"How did that happen?" asked the manager. One rather rough looking man that seemed vaguely familiar to Tintin and Eleanor rose his hand.

"I saw it all, sir!" he called. "That girl, the bespectacled one, shoved a screwdriver into the gears!" Everyone gasped in surprise as the man pointed to Eleanor. Suddenly, all three; Jean Nattie, and Amber all stood in front of Eleanor.

"That's not true!" yelled Jean.

"You calling me a liar?" the man challenged. Amber crossed her arms.

"That's about the size of it pal."

"How dare you!" the man shouted. Nattie narrowed her eyes.

"Wanna do something about it?" she asked.

"Ladies, sir, please," interjected the manager.

"I saw it all-"

"You are such a-"

"Please, people!"

Finally Tintin stepped forward.

"If I may," he said as all eyes turned to him. "I do believe you are mistaken, sir. I was with Eleanor all morning. She never went near this area. I have those ladies to support my argument," Tintin gestured to the three girls in front of Eleanor, who had blanched.

"You calling me a-" started the man.

"Look, we'll sort this out later. Though I do doubt that it was Eleanor that blocked the gears. Who repaired the damage?" asked the manager.

"That would be those two," someone else pointed to Tintin and Eleanor once the trio of girls moved. The manager rose his eyebrows.

"Well then," he said, after a moment. "I don't see why Eleanor would jam up the gears only to risk her life to fix it. Along with this young man here..." the manager turned to Tintin. "Who is this?"

"This is Tintin, a friend of mine. He was just visiting me, and when Nattie and Amber told me there was a problem, he followed to see if he could help," Eleanor explained quietly.

"That's right! He kept a valve loose so the pressure wouldn't build up as much. I tried to keep it loose, but I couldn't hold it, so he took over. Those pipes would've blown and take out Eleanor without him," Jean added.

"Quite the pair of heroes," someone muttered matter-of-factly. The manager nodded.

"Alright... everyone back to work... we've resolved this," said the manager, turning around to continue his work. Eleanor adjusted her glasses.

"Well, thanks so much for your help Tintin," she said, a bit awkwardly when everyone else had returned to work.

"Only returning the favor. You did save my life first you know," Tintin reminded with a smile. Eleanor blushed and adjusted her glasses.

"Thank you, also, for checking up on me. I really appreciate it," she added.

"Certainly. Well, now I see you are alright I'll take my leave. Perhaps after work I could walk you to the hotel? I think we should discuss this when you have the time," said Tintin. Eleanor smiled, more pleasantly.

"I'd like that. I'll see you at closing time," she said, switching her wrench to her left hand and sticking out her right to shake.

"Very well, good bye."

Tintin left Eleanor and started down the pathway full of steam. Before long he caught sight of a silhouette of a man, and upon getting closer he noticed it was the man who accused Eleanor of jamming the gears. His eyes widened and quietly followed him to the exit, where he saw the man strike up a conversation with another slightly portly man that was well dressed. He gasped silently.

The other portly man was Reginald. That accusation had been a trap.

**Tintin:**** A bit cryptic I think...**

**Eleanor:**** (adjusts glasses) What is?**

**Mary:**** You'll understand later...:D**

**Amber:**** (giggling) We finally get a part in this story!**

**Nattie:**** Well I've been in a little.**

**Jean:**** Lucky!**

**Snowy:**** (In comic form) I've noticed I don't have much a part in this chapter.**

**Amber:**** ...Uh... Tin-can, your dog is flat and he talks...**

**Tintin: ****Yes, he can do that in comic form. (rolls eyes) and please stop calling me that.**

**Amber:**** I didn't call you 'That'. Did I Nattie? I never called Tin-can 'That'. **

**Nattie: ****No, you just called him Tin-can. **

**Jean: ****Yeah.**

**Tintin: ****(pinches bridge of nose) Don't call me Tin-can.**

**Amber:**** Okay, Tin-man. **

**Jean +Nattie:**** BWAHAHA!**

**Tintin:**** Ugh...**

**Mary:**** Okay, in response to Snowy, this whole time, knowing you and Tintin, we can just go ahead and assume that you followed Tintin everywhere with the exception of the ladder. Hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Review if you wanna! But only if you want to. **


End file.
